Embark Studios acknowledges AI voice criticism in ARC Raiders

Embark Studios acknowledged Nov. 2, 2026 that players had fair criticism of AI-generated voices in ARC Raiders. On Nov. 1, 2026, GameRiv reported that the studio had put human actors behind all quest dialogue, but the full extent remains unverified.

No verified announcement confirms the studio is removing every AI-generated voice line. CPG indicated that actors had replaced only some lines. Synthetic text-to-speech also remained in selected cases after the game’s launch. The re-recording came after months of criticism about AI voices in conversations with non-player characters.

Bence Pajor, the audio director, said human actors cannot record every possible ping-system line because game features change quickly. The ping system lets Raiders call out items, enemies, locations and directions. It uses text-to-speech, a tool that turns written text into spoken audio, so the team does not have to record every possible line. Pajor said the studio trained a system on voice recordings to try out dialogue before final decisions.

Certain AI-generated lines drew criticism from players, who said the characters came across as flat or lacking emotion. Matrix News said some players disliked AI lines and described them as lifeless or odd. Some players objected to the sound of AI-generated dialogue even though the actors involved had signed contracts allowing voice use.

Patrick Söderlund said in March 2026 that Embark had actors re-record some lines after launch, leaving fewer AI lines than when ARC Raiders launched in October 2025. He said results from actors working professionally beat AI technology. “A real professional actor is better than AI; that’s just how it is.” Synthetic text-to-speech remained in selected cases, including ping audio, and some actors received additional payment to allow voice use with those tools.

The game launched in October 2025 using a hybrid voice approach that mixed professionally recorded dialogue with text-to-speech lines created using licensed actor voices. The small development team could add dialogue for items and locations without booking new sessions. Quest dialogue could also be added without new recording sessions. Pajor said the studio trained a system on voice recordings to try out dialogue before final decisions.

A developer said the studio anticipated negative reactions to AI voices in ARC Raiders based on similar responses to comparable technology in The Finals. Neil Newbon said in a December 2025 PCGamesN interview that using text-to-speech instead of recording sessions can cost performers paid work.

Söderlund confirmed in March 2026 that the studio pays performers for recording sessions and secures paid approval when it licenses voices for certain text-to-speech uses. Some actors received additional payment to allow voice use with those tools. He described payment and approval practices as part of a position that the studio does not intend to replace actors.

Embark announced updates to Celeste in October 2026 so her appearance more closely matches Diana Gardner, the real-life performer who voiced her from the beginning. The studio gave Celeste more detailed performance capture to better show facial expressions and emotion because the earlier model did not fully reflect Gardner’s performance. Gardner has performed the role from the beginning. The update aims to align the character model with her likeness.

The studio plans future updates that will bring additional characters closer to the actors who perform them. Those updates aim to make the game’s characters more believable and emotionally engaging. Stefan Strandberg, the studio’s chief creative officer, said he wants more room for performances. He hopes players discover more about characters and their motivations over time.

The studio wants to support voice actors. It also wants to give characters more depth and develop them further in coming years. Matrix News linked these goals to the studio’s acknowledgment of fair criticism.